BNSF opens new Kansas City intermodal facility

First train to arrive at BNSF’s LPKC Intermodal Facility.Logistics Park Kansas City

BNSF opened its new Logistics Park Kansas City (LPKC) Intermodal Facility in Edgerton, Kan., to customers, business and elected officials October 17.

LPKC is a more than 1,550-acre master-planned distribution and warehouse development anchored by BNSF's newest intermodal facility, the third such facility to anchor a Logistics Park on BNSF's network.

BNSF's LPKC Intermodal Facility has been designed to accommodate the growing demands of freight rail transportation in the Kansas City region and will initially nearly double BNSF's lift capacity in that market. The Intermodal facility encompasses 433 acres and will have an initial lift capacity of 500,000 truck containers and trailers with the ability to expand to 1.5 million units.

"BNSF greatly appreciates the support of all of the government and business leaders who worked with us to make this day possible. That support is an important part of the reason why Kansas City has developed into one of the most strategic transportation hubs in the nation," said Matthew Rose, chairman and chief executive officer. "BNSF's significant investment in this new facility will not only make this one of the most efficient intermodal facilities in the country, it will also help enhance the Kansas City region's position in the global supply chain by offering shippers more capacity and service options."

The $250 million facility has six 8,000-foot tracks for loading and unloading intermodal trains, more than 1,800 parking spaces and will have 4,300 container stacking spots at full build-out. It is equipped with five wide-span, electric, rail-mounted gantry cranes, which produce zero emissions on site and will significantly reduce the number of hostler trucks needed to move containers within the facility.

LPKC is projected to help create an estimated 7,400 jobs in the immediate area of the development and 13,000 jobs in the state of Kansas at full build-out.